Takatoku Nishi · CLIENT: Takatoku Nishi
Takatoku Nishi has created an architecture that allows people to experience the beauty of nature around them as it shifts from day to day. It is a phenomenon of light that is produced and drops into space by the forces of the sun and wind. This architecture is just a gimmick to incorporate the forces of nature; all it needs is the forces that are constantly occurring in the natural world.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- On sunny days, when the sun shines and a certain amount of wind blows, light is guided into the space from the pipes in the ceiling, creating a phenomenon of light that resembles drops falling onto the surface of water.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- H4000mm, W27960mm, D4675mm, Area / 95 Square meter
- Tags
- Optical phenomena, architecture, sun, wind, nature, atmosphere, space of light, construction, structure, Mitate
- Production Technology
- PHENOMENA : The system was designed to match the natural light to a tilt angle of 31. 6 deg., the average solar angle at the winter solstice, and the prism rotates at an average wind speed of 1.5 m/s for this location. Main materials; Acrylic pipes and prisms.
ARCHITECTURE : The walls are louvered, with a 1.5 cm gap in one direction. This keeps the space illumination at a dim 30lx, similar to a tea room. In addition, air is constantly circulated inside. Main Materials; Wood, floor plastered (coarse, white). - Design Challenge
- The most time-consuming part of this work was to realise the phenomenon in architectural size. I first discovered this phenomenon when I passed light through a straw. After researching various materials, sizes and methods, we achieved this phenomenon from a height of 4m by sandblasting an acrylic pipe with a 2mm thick and a diameter of 80mm on the outside. For the sun- and wind-driven system, we tested various lenses and found that a triangular prism perfectly directs the sun's rays into the pipe, and at the same time we found a way to make the prism rotate in the wind.
- Project Duration
- The work was produced for the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music's Doctoral Thesis Exhibition in December 2020; the work was exhibited in Japan in 2021 and 2022.
- Operation Flow
- The daily combination of sun and wind changes the phenomenon and influences it within the space. It makes people aware of the beauty of their immediate natural environment, of which they are usually unaware.
- Research
- My research focuses on the space between the natural environment and the human interface. We have a very beautiful natural environment next to us, but we are usually unaware of it. People may only notice it, for example, at the sight of a rainbow after a rainfall. I want to create new sights by utilising the power of nature, which is usually present, and by using optical phenomena and architecture as a medium. With this work, Ripple, I have received national acclaim so far, symbolising the need for this spatial experience nowadays.
- Inspiration
- I use optical phenomena to construct space of light. The phenomenal part of this work focuses on the optical phenomenon of light passing through a pipe, generating ripples of light. The architecture was heavily influenced by the architecture of Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, in particular the atmosphere of the Bruder-Klaus-Kapelle.
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